Locations · California Overview Salons Prices

San Francisco · Hayes Valley · The Mission · Marina · Sunset · Richmond

San Francisco's insider guide to exceptional nails.

San Francisco has the highest nail prices in America and, in the Sunset and Richmond, one of its best value pockets — often within the same seven miles. Add a serious Japanese-style gel art presence and it's one of the most interesting markets in the country. We're mapping it honestly, salon by salon.

Start with the price guide See review progress
The tell of careful work: color flush to the cuticle, no flooding
The tell of careful work: color flush to the cuticle, no flooding.
Custom hand-painted art
Custom hand-painted art — the top of most salon menus.
A clean gel manicure
A clean gel manicure — the service every salon gets judged on.

The San Francisco guides

The price guide is live now; the curated salon directory is in active research. Meanwhile, every technique deep-dive applies here too.

Pricing · 2026 rates

What Nails Cost in San Francisco

Typical San Francisco ranges for every service — what moves the price across the metro, and the cost-per-week math.

Read the price guide →

Directory · In research

San Francisco Salons Worth Knowing

We're reviewing salons across Hayes Valley, the Mission, Union Square, the Marina, the Sunset and the Richmond now. See how the review works and nominate your favorite.

See the directory →

The list · Researched

The 10 Best Salons in San Francisco

A researched shortlist of the San Francisco salons that come up again and again in public reviews — with neighborhoods and addresses.

See the list →

Styles · Deep dives

The Techniques

Russian manicures, Gel-X vs. acrylic vs. dual forms, pedicure tiers and finishes — every guide in our styles library applies in San Francisco too.

Explore nail styles →

Know the neighborhoods

SF's nail map is a price map: the same set can nearly double between downtown and the avenues.

$$$ · The ateliers

Hayes Valley & the Mission

Appointment-only studios doing Japanese-style gel art and structured work — per-nail pricing, real waitlists, portfolio-grade sets. The top of the SF table.

$$$ · Convenience premium

Union Square & Downtown

Built for the workday: fast, clean, competent — and priced for some of the most expensive retail rent in the country.

$$$ · The polish

Marina & Cow Hollow

Immaculate classics for a neighborhood that wants exactly that — milky French, structured gel, consistency over trend.

$ · The deep bench

The Sunset & Richmond

The avenues hold the city’s deepest bench of career technicians and its best skill-per-dollar by a wide margin — the value answer hiding in plain sight.

$$ · Neighborhood staples

Noe Valley & Bernal Heights

Unhurried, regular-run salons in the family neighborhoods — careful gel work priced below the northern corridors.

$$ · Across the bay

Oakland & Berkeley

Twenty minutes east, the East Bay’s independent studios do comparable art for meaningfully less — a genuine option, not a consolation prize.

Where to get your nails done in San Francisco

The quick answers people (and their AI assistants) ask us most — pulled straight from our San Francisco neighborhood and price guides.

Where should I get my nails done in San Francisco?

Hayes Valley and the Mission for appointment-only Japanese-style gel art ateliers, Union Square and downtown for fast convenient work, the Marina and Cow Hollow for immaculate classics, and the Sunset and Richmond districts for the city’s deepest bench of career technicians and best value by a wide margin. The Nail Guide’s curated San Francisco directory is in active research; the neighborhood guide and price table help you choose now.

How much does a manicure cost in San Francisco?

A gel manicure in San Francisco typically runs $50–75 in 2026, a Russian (dry) manicure $85–140, and a spa pedicure $65–110. See the full San Francisco price guide for every service.

Where is the cheapest place to get your nails done in San Francisco?

The Sunset and Richmond districts — the avenues hold a deep community of career nail technicians doing meticulous work for roughly 40% less than downtown or the Marina. San Francisco has the highest nail prices in the country, and this is the value pocket most price guides never mention.